Years ago I made a bad decision, I bought vinyl plank flooring. I had just inherited some money and a salesman convinced me it was a good idea. It wasn’t. It is certainly not impervious to liquid, and, as careful as we try to be, we have more than our share of spills here. Some of the planks are starting to separate and show the underfloor, which can be damaged by liquids.
We were going to replace the floor when we had money from Amplify Austin, but vet bills have been high and we no longer have enough.
The vinyl itself will cost about $1,000. I am waiting on a bid for the labor, and I will let you know.
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Newt and her babies
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More Fun Than A Barrel Of Monkeys!
Fun? I think monkeys are scary! They’re too much like humans, and they’re too darn smart for me. I can’t even outsmart many of these cats with much smaller brains. Fortunately, Newt, Spirit, and Phoenix—walnut-sized brains and all—are much more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Newt came to us a little over a year ago, very pregnant, from the yard of board member, Sharon Bennett. Newt was timid and skittish from being outside on her own for who knows how long. We thought she was feral. Heck, she thought she was feral! But it turns out that she just needed people who cared about her.
Here at the sanctuary, she gave birth to three tortoiseshell, two calico, and one black kitten. Talk about fun! Tortoiseshell and calico kitties are almost exclusively female: it is extremely rare to find a male. The black kitten was a boy. They were all named after Caribbean islands. All have found homes, two with a staff member.
Newt’s appetite declined and she showed other symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. A trip to the vet showed a probable intestinal lymphoma. But she is young and cats tolerate chemotherapy MUCH better than humans, so Sharon opted to start her on Leukeran, a feline chemotherapy drug. She has done extremely well on this medication. We haven’t checked the status of the lymphoma lately but we wouldn’t be surprised if it has shrunk considerably or is even gone. Newt is perky and seems to feel great. She back to being fun.
 Spirit came from Kerrville Pets Alive (KPA.) Cringing in the back of a cage at the Kerrville municipal shelter, Spirit didn’t have long before overcrowding would force a dreadful outcome for him. KPA appealed to us and we took him.
Initially, Spirit was a biter and a scratcher. His fear level was understandably quite high when he got here. But with love and understanding, he has turned into a wonderful, playful, fun kitty.
Phoenix was trapped at The Hub on Highway 290 in Dripping Springs. She had been dragging a hind leg for about a week and that leg ended up being amputated. It hasn’t stopped her from climbing, jumping, playing, and, after they were put together, falling in love with Spirit.
 Spirit liked Phoenix just fine, but he also loved Newt, whom he could see on the other side of the “cat run,” a catio that spans 1 1/2 sides of the house. So we tried them all three together and they get along just great. I can see them outside my office window, playing, cuddling, and snoozing.
We would love to get Spirit adopted but we think Newt and Phoenix would miss him. What to do? Phoenix is still feral and Newt is still in treatment. For the time being, they are all here, playing on the catio or lounging about in Scott’s office which boasts a cat door from that part of the cat run. Their friendship with each other, and their attention from staff may make them the happiest kitties here.
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Spirit learning to trust people
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Kitten Shower!
Kitten season is in full swing and we will be having a kitten shower soon. Right now, we have eleven motherless babies being raised by our AMAZING bottle baby feeders.
Pepper, Nutmeg, Sage, Basil, and Rosemary, from two different litters but not mixing together, are being raised by Nicole Elliott. Pepper and Nutmeg will be spayed on June 2, and be ready for adoption a few days later. Their siblings, Cheetah and Penguin, raised by Julie and Robert Perales, will be spayed and ready at the same time.
Tiny Sage, Basil, and Rosemary will be finished with vetting and ready around July 24. Julie and Robert are also fostering Tomasina who will be ready at the same time.
 Our Lead Vet Technician, Christina Ramirez, is fostering Crawdad, born approximately 4/14, and Dragon, born around 3/30, and they’ll be ready to be adopted July 24, also.
Cat moms Boo, Yuri, Dolly, and Autumn are raising their kittens in foster homes or, in the case of feral Boo, here at the sanctuary. These kittens will be spayed 6/16 (Dolly’s four and Yuri’s three), and 7/10 (Boo’s four and Autumn’s three.)
As I write this, a seven-week-old black kitten, found in a dumpster behind Firehouse Vet—don’t ya’ just hate people sometimes?—is being vetted and will be here shortly.
We're working on a digital Kitten Shower for this spring - a chance for people to learn more about some of our 2021 kittens (virtually), take a peek into the day-to-day life of a kitten foster parent, and vote on 2021's Cutest Kitten winner. More details to come soon!
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Thank You For Everything You Do For Animals!
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